1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

"Go get 'em, sparky."

G age patiently waited for the white fluffy cloud to move towards Scotsman Peak, which was the highest point of the Sugar Pine Mountain Range. It was a clear day, excluding the one cloud, which was unusual for early February. And Gage had been waiting for everything to fall into place to take this shot for two years now.

He looked through the viewfinder and checked his settings again. Then, as the cloud neared the perfect point, he started taking pictures. He took several before the prime shot. Then several more as the cloud obligingly formed a perfect shadow on the snowy north side of the peak. When the cloud was almost out of frame, an eagle flew into the shot. Gage took three more pictures until the bird was no longer visible through his lens.

He stood and watched the bald eagle land at the top of a tall pine tree. "Thank you, Mr. Eagle, for photo bombing my shot. I appreciate it. He removed the camera from the tripod, then zoomed in on the bird and took a few more shots. The eagle looked at him for a moment as though he was posing, then flew off.

Gage looked at his watch. "Dammit." He hung the camera around his neck, folded up the tripod, and hiked back to his truck. He'd left it parked on the side of Highway Three, ten miles out of town. He put his things in the front of the truck, then drove for Calaway Crossing. He was late.

When he pulled into his reserved spot in front of the newspaper office, Sydney's small SUV was in the space next to his. At least she was on time. He went through the front door and got a smile from her.

"Hey, Boss."

"Sorry I'm late."

"Did you oversleep?"

"I was in the foothills. The conditions were finally right for me to catch, a blue sky, the perfect cloud, and Scotsman Peak."

"You got it?"

"I did. Or at least I hope I did. I won't know until I get into the darkroom tonight."

"Congratulations. I can't believe how clear the sky is."

"It's a perfect day for the Winter Festival. Last year we had a foot of snow on the ground." He headed for his office. "Just let me change my film and we can head out."

Today was the first day of the yearly Calaway Crossing Winter Festival. It was held the first weekend in February, regardless of how much snow was on the ground. And so far in its fifty-year history, it had never been canceled due to bad weather. Gage changed the film in his camera, then put it into the bag he'd packed yesterday with extra film and a second camera.

Sydney smiled at him. "What's the theme this year?" He always waited until the morning of the festival to decide what his coverage would be about.

"People. The people of Calaway Crossing."

"Okay. I like that."

Since she'd almost quit a few months ago, Gage had been trying hard to show he recognized her contribution to the success of the Calaway Report. He'd managed so far not to upset her again. And making the offer he was about to make was a first.

"I thought you might like to take the second camera."

She didn't hide her surprise. "You want me to take pictures today?"

"Yeah. If you want to."

"I do." She cocked her head. "Will you actually use them in the paper?"

He hung the camera bag over his shoulder. "I will actually consider using them in the paper." Generous offer or not, he still had his standards.

"Okay. I can't ask for more than that, I guess."

"But only candid shots. Nothing posed. No smiling for the camera."

"Got it."

"I want to capture emotion. Whether that's seniors who have been married for fifty years looking at each other. Or a five-year-old crying because he dropped his caramel apple on the ground."

Sydney nodded. "I'll do my best."

Gage had always found Sydney attractive, with her dark hair falling in soft curls to her shoulders. She'd pull it back into a high ponytail when she was working at something where it might be a distraction. She always had an elastic hair band or two on her wrist for that purpose. They were hidden among the many bracelets she wore made from jute and various beads. In Gage's mind, it seemed the bracelets would be more distracting than her hair. But maybe that's because he was slightly infatuated with her dark locks. And then there were her eyes. They were almost as dark as her hair, especially when she was mad at him. Which happened more than it should. But that was his fault, not hers. He wasn't easy to be around sometimes.

They left the office and got into their respective vehicles. Gage waited for Sydney to back out, then followed her. She'd been working with him for almost four years now. She was a great journalist and had a way of making people relax when she interviewed them. She was definitely an asset to the paper.

He sighed. It was really hard for him to admit that to her. He hoped giving her a chance to take some pictures during the festival would let her know he trusts her. If they used digital cameras, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But Gage refused to give into the digital age. At least as far as photography was concerned. He took all the images for the paper with his film camera. Then he developed them in the basement. It took longer, but he loved it.

If he had his way, they'd still be producing the paper on the old printing press in the back room of the building. His Great-uncle Lawrence started the paper in 1975 and switched to digital printing in the early nineties. When Gage's Uncle Duncan took over the paper, he updated the computers and printers. But he continued to use film cameras for the photographs. Gage saw no reason to change that.

The big event on Friday was the bonfire. It was held in a clearing at the start of several hiking trails going into the foothills. It was a popular site which was used throughout the year for various events. Today, the bonfire would be in the six-foot diameter firepit. There were benches around the edges, which were all occupied by people who were probably unaware they'd be the subject of Gage's theme this year.

The Red Door Café, along with the Ambrose Tavern, had food booths. The tavern was selling hot chocolate and cider. You could get either of them spiked, if you so desired. They also had giant chocolate chip cookies, which Lillian and Delaney had spent the last two days making. The café was selling chili, a tradition started just two years ago by Brynlee. It had been a big hit when she introduced it, so it became an annual thing.

The Pizza Shack was serving pizza by the slice. And various service clubs sold a variety of foods and sweet treats. The mayor would arrive soon to make his speech officially starting the Winter Festival weekend.

Gage gave Sydney the camera and told her to mingle, then he headed for the tavern's booth.

Paxton and Remington were manning it, and he gave them a smile.

"I think I need some hard cider to warm me up." It was clear. But the temperature was in the forties.

Paxton nodded at the camera around Gage's neck. "Should you be drinking while you're armed?"

"It hasn't affected my work yet."

Remington handed him a cup of cider. "Where's your better half?"

"Sydney?"

"Yeah."

Gage scowled. "Since when is she my better half?"

"She's better looking, nicer, and people like her."

"Who doesn't like me?"

Paxton laughed. "It's not that people don't like you. They just find you a bit socially challenged."

"What's wrong with that?"

Paxton looked at Remington. "He's never going to get it."

Gage drank some cider. "I get the job done. What else is there?"

Remington reached across the counter and put a hand on Gage's shoulder. "It's called congeniality."

Gage took a step back. "Congeniality doesn't get the paper out twice a week. Hard work and perseverance does."

Paxton nodded. "Okay. I hope that hard work and perseverance keeps you warm at night."

Gage shook his head. "Why are you guys busting my balls? What did I do to you?"

Remington laughed. "We're just messing with you. We love you and your conservative demeanor, brother."

"Hmm." He glanced at Paxton, who raised a hand.

"Me too. I love you."

Gage finished his cider and set the paper cup down. "I'll take another. The mayor will be here soon. He loves to see his picture in the paper."

Paxton nodded. "See. He's congenial."

"He's a bastard."

"Well, yeah. But he's a congenial bastard."

Remington filled Gage's cup. "Go get ‘em, sparky."

Gage picked up his cup, gave Remington the bird, then left the booth to the sound of his brothers laughing. As he was walking away, he saw Elaina approaching. She was eight months pregnant and didn't look very comfortable in the coat she could barely button.

He stopped in front of her. "Hey."

She sighed. "Hi."

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be home on the couch with your feet up?"

"This is the first Winter Festival I've attended as a civilian. I sat in the ambulance during the last two."

"Well, I think you could've skipped the mayor's speech."

"You're probably right. I'm just going to go hang out with my husband for a bit."

"You know he doesn't deserve you, right?"

She smiled. "Oh, definitely." She touched his arm. "I just dropped Joaquin off with your parents. I need to sit."

"You take care, Elaina. And stay warm. It's cold out here."

She waddled off and Gage went to find the perfect spot to take photos of the mayor. Mayor Bessler was generally liked by the town. Although he was still considered an outsider since he wasn't born in the valley. He was the first non-Calaway or Ambrose mayor elected in the town's one hundred and sixty-year history. He was also a bit full of himself and had the airs of someone who was in charge of a population larger than Calaway Crossing's seven hundred residents. He was near the end of his second term and Duncan Ambrose would most likely be replace him in November.

Gage staked out a spot on the right side of the platform. It gave him the best unobstructed view of the mayor giving his speech. When he saw Sydney, he motioned for her to come to him.

She made her way through the people gathering around the platform and came up to him.

"He's late."

Gage checked his watch. "By a couple of minutes, yeah. I'll get the token shots of him at the podium. You just concentrate on the crowd."

"Okay."

"How are you getting along with the camera?"

"Good. I have it down."

"I'm curious to see what you do with it."

She put a hand on his arm. "Thank you for trusting me."

He smiled. "I've always trusted you, Sydney." As my brothers just pointed out to me. "I may not always express it. But you're a valuable asset to the paper."

"Thank you."

"I guess it's about time I told you that."

She laughed. "Better late than never."